Rockies at Phillies: April 20th to April 23rd

2014 Topps Heritage #218

2014 Topps Heritage #310

Thursday 6:40, Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 12:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies will have their Jackie Robinson Salute as part of Thursday night's game, and on Saturday all kids 14 and under will receive a Phillies knit hat.  Sunday is the annual Phanatic's birthday party celebration, with all kids getting a Phanatic t-shirt.

Rockies 5-14
5th Place in the N.L. West, 6 games behind the Diamondbacks

Rockies Probables
Ryan Feltner (0-2, 8.78)
Noah Davis (0-0, 0.00)
Kyle Freeland (2-1, 3.80)
Jose Urena (0-3, 9.82)

Rockies Leaders
Average:  Elias Diaz - .345
Runs:  Kris Bryant - 10
Home Runs:  C.J. Cron - 4
RBIs:  Elias Diaz - 10
Stolen Bases:  Yonathan Daza and Ryan McMahon - 1

Wins:  Kyle Freeland and German Marquez - 2
ERA:  Kyle Freeland - 3.80
Strikeouts:  Jake Bird - 16
Saves:  Pierce Johnson - 3

Phillies 8-11
4th Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Matt Strahm (1-1, 2.13)
Aaron Nola (1-2, 5.91)
Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 0.00)
Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.79)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .368
Runs:  Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner - 15
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 4
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 16
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 4

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 2
ERA:  Taijuan Walker - 3.80

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 23
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 2

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Stay on Target . . . Getting Closer to Baseball

2020 Chachi New Additions #10

Most of my offseason attention has been turned towards building and posting my two other blogs, covering the 1956 and 1965 Topps sets.  After the Zack Wheeler and Didi Gregorius signings in December, transactions and non-roster invitees have slowly trickled in and I wanted to run another catch-up post before the joy of pitchers and catchers reporting kicks in.  Phillies pitchers and catchers are set to officially report on February 11th.

A number of ex-Phillies recently found new homes, as updated below.  The Phillies also made another waiver claim, taking Reggie McClain from the Mariners.  McClain has no major baseball card appearances to his name to date.

Trevor Kelley was designated for assignment to make room for McClain on the 40-man roster, but at least Kelley has a coveted Chachi New Additions insert card to show for his time in the Phillies organization.

2020 Chachi Departures #15

2020 Chachi Departures #1

2020 Chachi Departures #17

2020 Chachi Departures #9

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency, signed the San Francisco Giants (1/18/20).
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (1/7/20).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/9/20).
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers (1/22/20).
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (1/16/20).
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released.
• Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres (12/27/19).
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/31/20).
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1/8/20).
• Maikel Franco - 3b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals (12/27/19).
• Cesar Hernandez - 2b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (12/29/19).

2020 Chachi Departures #7

2020 Chachi Departures #16

Coming Back - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (12/20/19).

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
• Cristopher Sanchez - lhp (11/20/19) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for Curtis Mead.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/2/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
• Zack Wheeler - rhp (12/9/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (12/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Nick Martini - of (1/14/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (1/31/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

8 File for Free Agency; Pirela Released

2020 Chachi Departures #4

2020 Chachi #23

2020 Chachi Departures #5

2020 Chachi Departures #6

2020 Chachi Departures #7

On Halloween, the day after the conclusion of the World Series, eight Phillies filed for free agency.  Of the eight, I could see Brad Miller returning to fill a bench role and Drew Smyly might provide some depth at Triple-A.  It would be great to see Corey Dickerson return, but it's not clear how he would fit in to an already crowded outfield.

In a paper move only, outfielder Odubel Herrera was activated from the restricted list where he has languished since mid-May due to his arrest for domestic violence.

2020 Chachi Departures #8

2020 Chachi Departures #9

2020 Chachi Departures #10

2020 Chachi Departures #11

Finally, outfielder Jose Pirela was released as he'll pursue an opportunity to play in Japan.  In 12 games for the Phillies, Pirela hit .235 (4 for 17) with a home run and two RBIs.  He leaves having appeared on zero Phillies baseball cards, making him a prime candidate for a future Phillies Missing Links custom set.

I'm showing off some of the 2020 Chachi cards I created for these departed players above.  As I've done in the past, I'll also create a variation card for each player with whatever new team they land with.  I have to say I'm enjoying working with the 1991 Topps template more than I thought I would, and I'm looking forward to spending all next season with this design.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released.

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.

Game 104 - Photo Night Returns! (Part One)

2019 Chachi Photo Night #2

2019 Chachi Photo Night #16

2019 Chachi Photo Night #8

Braves 15, Phillies 7
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 54-50, 3rd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves absolutely demolished the Phillies in this 15-7 loss.

What It Means:  This is one of the worst games Jenna and I have ever witnessed in person.  It only helped a little that both teams were wearing awesome throw-back uniforms, with the Phillies in their infamous, all-burgundy Saturday Night Special uniforms.  These uniforms were worn once and only once back in 1979.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin allowed 10 runs (six earned) in his 2 2/3 innings of work, with Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins contributing to the drubbing with costly errors.  The offense showed some punch with 12 hits and both J.T. Realmuto (13) and Sean Rodriguez (3) hit home runs.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #3

2019 Chachi Photo Night #5

2019 Chachi Photo Night #10

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Photo night returned!  One of the games we look forward to every season is the annual Phillies Photo Night promotion.  The players and coaches walk along cordoned sections of the outfield - some fast and some slow - and pose for pictures with the fans.  With last year's event cancelled due to rain, it was nice to return to this now annual tradition.

Promptly at 5:40, Bryce Harper was the first player to emerge and he took a brisk walk around the ballpark, never getting more than 15 feet away from the sectioned off fans.  Maybe over the next 13 years, that will slowly change and he'll interact more with us.  After Harper's stroll and polite waves, the rest of the team made their way around the outfield.  We enjoyed talking with the broadcasters and coach Pedro Guerrero asked if he could try on Ben's sunglasses.  New Phillie Mike Morin was very nice and he was one of the last players, along with Pat Neshek, out on the field.  Neshek was great to talk to as well.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #1

2019 Chachi Photo Night #4

2019 Chachi Photo Night #6

2019 Chachi Photo Night #7

2019 Chachi Photo Night #9

Doug snuck autographs from Morin and Brad Miller, although technically that was against the Photo Night rules.  We missed seeing Rhys Hoskins and Sean Rodriguez as their handlers shuffled them off the field right before both arrived at our location.  We also missed getting photos with Jean Segura (walked right by us), Scott Kingery, Nick Williams, Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta, as none of them made it over to our spot.  Any other players and coaches (including manager Gabe Kapler) not listed here or not featured on the cards I've created, we simply didn't see.  J.T. Realmuto and Zach Eflin were excused as they were getting ready for the game, and unless I'm mistaken I think Jake Arrieta skipped the event entirely.

After leaving the field, Doug stationed himself by the Phillies dugout and added autographs to his collection from coaches Dusty Wathan, Rob Thomson and Figueroa.  Adam Haseley also graciously signed for him again.  I'll have the rest of the Photo Night insert cards in a second post.

Memory Lane
1984 Photo Day - Hudson, Maddox and Lefebvre
2004 Photo Day - First at Citizens Bank Park
2006 Photo Day - with Rick White
2007 Photo Day - with Shane Victorino
2016 Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Photo Night - Parts One, Two and Three
2018 Photo Night - Cancelled due to rain
2019 Photo Night - Part One and Part Two

Highlights from the 2019 Phillies Phestival (Part 2) #StrikeOutALS

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #20

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #24

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #25

Yesterday, I include a summary of our time at this year's Phillies Phestival benefitting the ALS Association.  The first half of the cards I created to commemorate our day were included in that post, and this post gathers the remaining cards.

We're already anxiously awaiting next year's event!

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #17

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #21

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #22

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #23

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2

2019 Part 1 and Part 2

Game 48 - 2019 Phillies Team Issue #12 Juan Nicasio

Cubs 3, Phillies 2
Game 48 - Tuesday Night, May 21st in Chicago
Record - 28-20, 1st place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  With most of the bullpen unavailable due to scheduled days off, Juan Nicasio couldn't hold off the Cubs in this frustrating 3-2 loss.

What It Means:  Manager Gabe Kapler defended his bullpen usage after the game, explaining that Hector Neris, Seranthony Dominguez, Pat Neshek and Adam Morgan were unavailable due to their recent work load.  As a result of this and Nicasio's ineffectiveness, the game was lost.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the seventh on a two-run single from Andrew McCutchen.  Nicasio loaded the bases in the ninth, walked two and allowed two hits, including the game-winner from Javier Baez.

The blown save ruined a good outing from Zach Eflin, who battled through six innings and allowed a run on six hits.

Featured Card:  This is Nicasio's second stint with the Phillies, and his first time around lasted only two games back in 2017.  His first (and to date only) Phillies baseball card can be found within this year's team-issued photo card set.

2019 Chachi #23 Juan Nicasio

#12
Juan Ramon Nicasio
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  252
Opening Day Age:  32
Born:  August 31, 1986, San Francisco de Macoris, DR
Signed:  Signed by the Colorado Rockies as an amateur free agent, August 21, 2006
Teams:  Colorado Rockies 2011-2014; Los Angeles Dodgers 2015; Pittsburgh Pirates 2016-2017; Phillies 2017; St. Louis Cardinals 2017; Seattle Mariners 2018; Phillies 2019
Acquired:  Acquired with James Pazos and Jean Segura from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana, December 3, 2018
Contract Status:  Signed a two-year contract on December 19, 2017, taking him through 2019

2011 Topps Update #US203

2017 Chachi #58

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2011 Topps Update #US203
First Phillies Card:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #12
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #12
First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #12

2019 Phillies Team Issue #12

2 - Nicasio baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/1/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #58
2019 Chachi New Additions #2
2019 Chachi #23

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

Segura Joins Phillies in 5-Player Deal with Mariners

2019 Chachi New Additions #1

2019 Chachi New Additions #2

2019 Chachi New Additions #3

On Monday morning, I noticed a flurry of Tweets reporting the Phillies were close to acquiring All-Star shortstop Jean Segura from the Mariners in exchange for Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford.  I had to fly to Atlanta for work, but when I landed that afternoon the deal was all but official.  Finally, word came as I was en route to my hotel that the Phillies had traded Santana and Crawford to the Mariners for Segura and relievers Juan Nicasio and James Pazos.  I've been anxious to get home so that I could (1) see my family and (2) create Chachi cards for the new additions.

The move remakes half the Phillies infield for 2019 (for now) as Segura will take over at shortstop and Rhys Hoskins will move back to first base.  Righty Nicasio and lefty Pazos will join a suddenly crowded bullpen, with both relievers expected to see action in later innings next season.  Their presence alone immediately makes the Phillies bullpen better.

2019 Chachi Departures #1

2019 Chachi Departures #2

In just one season with the Phillies, Santana appeared in 161 games and hit .229 with 24 home runs and 86 RBIs.  He leaves behind a fair amount of Phillies baseball cards and his complete Chachi checklist can be found below.  I'm a little bummed to see Crawford go, but I understand the move.  The team's first round pick in 2013, Crawford has seemingly been one of their top tier prospects for the past five years.  He was all but invisible during the Phillies complete collapse towards the end of last season.  I have a whopping 95 Crawford cards in my Phillies collection, which is an obscene tally for a player who hit .214 for the club over 72 games.

You can find great, in depth analysis of this trade elsewhere but I'm particularly interested in the baseball cards of the new Phillies trio.  Segura started appearing in Bowman products in 2010 with the Angels, and his first Topps flagship card appeared in 2013 when he was with the Brewers.  It appears as if he's in just about every major 2018 baseball card release.

Nicasio, who earned a 2017 Chachi card for his 2-game appearance with the Phillies that season, hasn't appeared on a mainstream baseball card since his 2015 Topps Update appearance with the Dodgers.  Finally, the only Pazos baseball cards out there are in the 2016 Topps, 2016 Topps Heritage and 2017 Topps Update sets.

Crawford Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #60
2018 Chachi #6
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7
2019 Chachi Departures #1

Santana Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi New Additions #4
2018 Chachi #2
2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3
2019 Chachi Departures #2

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Trevor Plouffe - inf (10/4/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Bautista - of (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Asdrubal Cabrera - inf (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Aaron Loup - lhp (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Wilson Ramos - c (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jesmuel Valentin - inf (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Florimon - inf/of (11/3/18) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Luis Avilan - lhp (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent.
• Justin Bour - 1b (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent.
• Carlos Santana - 1b and J.P. Crawford - ss (12/3/18) - Traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Pazos, Juan Nicasio and Jean Segura.

New Arrivals - 2018-2019 Offseason

• James Pazos - lhp, Juan Nicasio - rhp and Jean Segura - ss (12/3/18) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana.

You can find the updated Virtual Phillies Wall here, showing the team's updated 40-man roster.